Laughing through the changes and accepting what life has for me after retirement. My elevator might be going down, but I plan to get off on every floor, even if it's just for plumbing supplies.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Hubby has an iPhone, Lordy, Lordy!

Have lost 12 lbs, and doing OK.

Old dogs can still learn new tricks.

Even though hubby and I were very involved with the computer age of the last few decades of the 20th century, we have been left behind in the ever-changing technology of the past 10 or so years. There is no time to learn anything, because the day after we buy the latest new gizmo, they are offering a "new improved model" and then back to the dark ages we go. It has come to the point that I really don't want to learn "the next best thing", I just want to know how to do the small things in life like turning on the TV, answering a phone, or watching a movie at home. It is a little discouraging to have to ask one of my adolescent grandchildren to help me out, and, at times, I feel so incompetent that I just blank out. It's ironic that just as I have come to a point in my life that I want to slow down, the world is going by me at the speed of light.

For my hubby's birthday last week, our children presented him with an iPhone. At first I thought it was a bad idea to put this contraption into the hands of us who are in a technological fog and can't figure out how to even insert a DVD disk. However, hubby was very enthusiastic, but all I could think of was listening to his frustration as he tried to answer the phone. To my surprise, he played with it, picked out his ring tones, figured out how to find out about the weather (old way being - looking out the window), has signed on to iTunes and was looking forward to getting into the "app" world. He has even made and received calls!!!! I am proud of him, but that leaves me as the only one in the family who is appless. So I just went ahead and tried hubby's iPhone. Woweeee, this is way cool!! It is not hard at all. Here I thought I was an old fart, out of touch, living in the 90's, but this little phone is fantastic. I am a convert. It is time for me to get into this "i" world, so my next adventure will definitely be an iPad. I think that as long as I don't have to load a disk, use three remotes, choose between video 1, 2, 3, or 4, I will be OK.

Hello:Perhaps we are the last people in the world to have heard of an iphone, but we really are clueless about what one might look like or be able to do. Is the same as a smartphone or the equally bizarre sounding android that our geekie friends seem to talk constantly about? Answers on a postcard please......!!!!

Dear Jane and Lance,The iPhone is a smart, smart phone and getting smarter. I see the future as a world of iPhones, and no people needed. They will probably be able to reproduce themselves and rule the world. Maybe they will do a better job.

Good for you guys. I've avoided the very tech world til now but discovered to my surprise that I could use Apple things with less hassle and aggro than a PC causes. So whenever I have the money, am joining the Macheads and waving PCs goodbye.

Dear Arleen, Your words--"It's ironic that just as I have come to a point in my life that I want to slow down, the world is going by me at the speed of light."--really spoke to me. I am so technologically challenged and my body so wants to simply relax into the mindfulness of the day.

BUT. And that's a big BUT. I also want to put a book of mine that was published back in 1992--"A Cat's Life: Dulcy's Story"--onto Amazon as an e-book and I want to sell the 670 copies of its trade paperback as a bookseller on Amazon.However, I find myself flummoxed by the circuitous instructions on the Amazon site. I defeat myself before I begin.

So, I hope that some of your enthusiasm for the Ipod and Ipad will rub off on me. I'm going to try to remember this posting today when I go to Amazon and begin, once again,to wade through the instructions. Wish me luck.

I only have a cell phone for emergency use and it is always plugged into its battery in my car. I find them a great intrusion in my life. However, when I was able to wrestle the iPhone out of my hubby's hands, and play with it a bit, I was impressed.

Congratulations on 12 pounds!! My Dad is 72 and he LOVES his iPad. He picks it up every morning instead of the newspaper. I am so proud of him too! He even comments on my blog. Thank goodness for Steve Jobs and making technology a bit easier. I know you can do it!

My Story, as of now

It's been six years now since I retired and you would think I would be through the "adjustment period". Some days I am, and others I am not. I like to think I have reinvented myself, however, rust keeps appearing around the edges. Aging is a surprise to me as I thought I would always be young. But life moves on and as I plod forward, I find that there are many more adventures and joys to be had. They just may take a little more effort to find, but heck, I have the time.